Broken
by elphaba980
Summary: Chapter 2 added Still reeling over loosing Fluer, Bill fears he may have to move back into the Burrow, but Ron and Harry have a better idea.
1. Chapter 1

First of all this is my favorite ship, I've never tried a story before but this could be fun. I love Bill Hermione ships and this will be eventually. Excuse any punctation and grammar problems I try to edit but I'm not perfect.

Bill Weasley sat on the doorstep of the small London apartment he had purchased with Fluer after their wedding 3 years earlier, a tear streaming down his cheek. He had forgotten what it felt like to cry. He reached up and touched his once handsome face and wondered if that could be the cause. He would never look the same again. That's what all the specialists said. Not even a wizards spell could help him. Fluer had always been too beautiful for him, but now she was in a completely different league. He was meant for a life of loneliness, while Fluer was off exploring the world with Oliver Wood. He knew that they worked together and that they were friends but this was too much. He wasn't sure he could ever walk into the apartment again. He had come home from a rough day at work at Gringotts hoping to spend a quiet night alone with is wife. Instead he'd gotten a shocking surprise. When he entered there had been a large suitcase on the couch. He screamed out her name and there was no answer. He could hear voices coming from the bedroom. He stepped inside. He saw them lying together in a warm enbrace their bodies intertwined with the glow of making love. The room smelled of it. He felt like gaging but all he could do was clear his throat in the doorway.

"Oh my god." were the first words out of Fluer's mouth. He couldn't help but notice that her once thick French accent had nearly faded.

"Well, well, well, he's just a friend is he?" Bill asked Fluer stared at him with no answer.

"I didn't mean for you find out like this." were the next words she managed.

"How did you mean to tell me that you were sleeping with Oliver?" Bill screamed. "Oh honey by the way you know Oliver Wood I'm sleeping with him."

"I was leaving tonight. I was going to tell you later today."

"We love each other Bill we never meant for this to happen." Oliver said Bill felt like punching him in the face.

"You married me Fluer that was supposed to mean something. We were supposed to spend the rest of our lives together, doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"It did once Bill but not any more." Fluer said. "I used to love you, and then you got bitten. and it consumed your entire life."

"So it is the way I look then?" Bill screamed angrily. "3 years ago you said it didn't matter, you said that in your wedding vows to me and now suddenly it does matter, now that you've got yourself someone more in your league.

"NO!!!" Oliver screamed "That's not why it happened."

"It's the way you are, you spend all day feeling sorry for yourself and I just can't take it. I loved you once Bill, but sometimes love just isn't enough!" Fluer explained.

"I'm sorry Bill, It wasn't supposed to be like this, you weren't supposed to find out this way." Oliver screamed Bill walked over and hit him hard in the noise he screamed in pain.

"You know what both of you get your clothes on and get out of my sight!" Bill screamed. It was then that he walked outside. He stared at his feet and waited. Fluer walked out alone a few minutes later and sat next to him.

"I do wish you the best you know that right?" She said gently.

"I can't deal with you right now." Bill managed. "Please just leave ok?"

"I'll be back for the rest of my things tomorrow." She managed through her thick veil of tears. She then walked back inside and Bill heard two loud pops that he knew was the sound of more then one wizard apparating. It was then that he started cry. He would have given the world for her and now she was gone forever. He finally managed to muster up the courage to walk back inside. He laid on now suitcaseless couch and cried until he was fast asleep.

Hermione Granger sat down in a small chair in the back of the Leaky cauldron the place was nearly empty today which surprised her. She hadn't been there in several months. She knew Harry and Ginny were coming and Ron, she still wasn't sure how she could bare to be around him. This meeting was a celebration of the 2 year anniversary of Harry's victory over Voldemort and she felt obligated to be there. Harry and Ginny were engaged and she wasn't really sure what Ron was doing. They had dated for a while. Hermione had expected that they would get married just like she had always thought in the back of her mind. However, Ron had abruptly broken up with her claiming that he still thought of her as a friend and they had made little contact since. Hermione was wearing her best dress and she had pulled her hair into a loose curly knot. She wanted Ron to think twice about breaking up with her and there was no better way. She smiled a little as she saw Ron step through the door but scowled when she saw that he was opening the door for someone a small Indian girl stepped through the door looking amazingly beautiful. She smiled and waved at Hermione. She knew that this girl was either Parvati or Padma Patil, but being that they were identical twin sisters she couldn't be sure which it was.

"Hermione." Ron said with a small smile as they reached the table. "You remember Padma Patil."

"Of course." Hermione did her best to fake a smile "it's so nice to see you again."

"Harry sent me an owl he and Ginny are running a few minutes late." Ron explained.

"So how have you been Ron?" Hermione managed

"We've been great Padma and I just bought an apartment together in London, we've been seeing eachother nine months now you know."

"9 months wow I'm surprised Ginny or Harry never mentioned that."

"I asked them not tell anyone until we were sure, I mean I wouldn't want another fiasco like..." He started but then trailed off. Hermione knew he had been about mention their relationship. The one that everyone was sure would last forever.

"Ron has asked me to marry him actually." Padma spouted. Ron glared at her slightly. "See."

"Wow that's really beautiful." Hermione said as Padma stuck the almost nonexistent diamond in her face. "Wow that's, well that's great. I need to use the toilet if you will excuse me for just a moment as she stood up she wasn't sure if her knees would support her. She walked into the bathroom and began to cry just a little, doing her best to hid it from her face. She was suprised when she stepped out a moment later and Ron was standing next to the door.

"Can we talk for a sec." Ron smiled at her in the way she could never resist.

"Sure." Hermione said.

"I didn't want to tell you like this." He said. "I know that once upon a time you and I were pretty serious ourselves."

"Yeah." Hermione said letting her face hang for just a second.

"Look you know that you and Harry are my best friends in the world, right?" He smiled "I would give my own life to save either of you in a second."

"I know that." Hermione said "I'm sorry I've been so awful."

"You and I were great in theory Hermione. Everyone always knew we would end up together, but I just didn't feel it and I hated myself, because I wished I did."

"You can't help who you love Ron." Hermione smiled now, she looked at Padma "Do you love her?"

"Yes, she makes me so happy, she's the one Hermione."

"Then I'm happy for you ok?" Hermione smiled as she saw Harry and Ginny arrive.

"Friends?" Ron smiled

"Friends" Hermione said throwing herself against him in soft friendly hug like they used to have. She knew that it would never be the same but she also knew that all she could do was try.

Later that night as Hermione arrived at her flat she grabbed and picture off the mantel. She smiled slightly it was taken just a few days after Harry defeated Voldemort, it was Harry and Ginny and her and Ron. That was the way she thought it would always be. She was happy for him. But somewhere deep inside she was sad too. Sad for herself. Maybe Ron was right, maybe she had always just expected to love him so she convinced herself she did. But somewhere deep inside she feared that her heart was broken and she might never find someone who could mend it.


	2. Chapter 2

A month later Hermione sat at dinner yet again as the 5th wheel. Harry and Ginny were talking animatedly about their upcoming nuptials which were still a little less then 3 months away. Ron and Padma were there too and Hermione as usual was alone. It was nice to be speaking to Ron again in had been a hard year and not talking to him had made it alot worse.

"I tried to get Bill to come." Ron explained. "Mum says he's barely eating she's really worried that he is going to hurt himself or something he's been really depressed about Fluer and all.

"I would be too." Hermione replied. "She told him she was leaving him for another guy and then had the nerve to put an engagement announcement to the guy in the paper 3 days later. Their divorce isn't even final yet."

"It was cold of her. Mums a wreck over it, you know she thought Fluer actually loved him inspite of his injury..."

"We all did Ron." Padma said affectionately.

"Sometimes people aren't what you think they are." Harry chimed in.

"Ron's right Mums a right mess, she's been crying and saying she's lost her chance and grandchildren, I keep telling her that Harry and I will have them but she won't listen." Ginny said with a half hinting smile at Harry. Hermione had never thought of it that way before. Bill had married Fluer about three years earlier but they'd never had any children and now they were getting divorced, Charlie had never even married and showed no interest in it whatsoever, Percy was married to Penelope Clearwater whom he'd dated since school, but he had basically detached himself from the family, and the twins were too busy running the joke shop to care about girls. If she had been Mrs. Weasley she might be starting to worry herself.

"So anything going on with you Hermione?" Ron asked a knowing look in his eye.

"Nothing really." Hermione explained. "Trying to get a new apartment, everytime I turn my kettle on to work on my potions the old muggle lady below me beats on the ceiling with her broomstick handle. I'm trying to be healer and I have to do my homework."

"Thats awful Hermione, when's your lease up?" Ron inquired.

"End of the month but all the flat's I've been looking at are either too expensive or worse then what I've got." Hermione explained.

"I can't afford much, and I can't seem to find a roommate." Hermione said defeated.

"You'll find something Hermione, if not I'm sure mum would let you stay at the Burrow until you do, Ron's the only one still living there." Ginny said in almost a mocking fashion "and he's going to be leaving soon might cheer her up to have you there for a little while."

"I couldn't impose on your family, if I wanted to live with parents, I could go live with mine." Hermione reminded. Thinking of how horrible it would be go back and live with her own muggle parents. She was just about to open her mouth to speak again when she saw Bill Weasley walk into the leaky cauldron. He looked horrible. His once handsome face was still maimed from the werewolf bite he had recieved in their Hermione's 6th year at Hogwarts, but that wasn't what Hermione noticed. He was thin and pale. He had taken out his famous fang earring and was wearing what Hermione could've sworn were old sweats. She smiled at him bravely.

"I hope it's alright that I came." Bill said. Even thought it was the Leaky Cauldron several people gave Bill strange suprised looks.

"Yeah." Ron said dazed he grabbed and chair and stuffed Bill in close to Hermione. "I thought you said you weren't hungry?"

"I wasn't, but I decided I'd better get out, I've been doing nothing for weeks now, just sitting around feeling sorry for myself. I reckon I should've changed first though." Bill said as if realizing for the first time the state of clothing.

"No you look fine." Ginny lied hoping Bill was to depressed to recognize the note of sarcasm in her voice. luckily for her he was.

"I've been going over some stuff." Bill said. "I'm going to have to move back in with mum and dad."

"Why, what's wrong with your place?" Ron said strangely Padma looked at him intently too.

"Nothing you know I love that place." Bill said a new wave of depression coming over him. "But Fluer and I could barely afford the rent with a joint income, I definitely can't afford it on my own."

"Have you thought about a roommate." Harry said instantly looking at Hermione. Her eyes grew to the size of large tennis balls and she looked as if she may slap Harry.

"I don't want to live with someone I don't know." Bill managed. "Wizards can be shady characters and you don't always know that when you first met them."

"What if you did know them?" Ron asked catching on to what Harry was saying. Hermione was shaking her head now.

"I'd do it but no one is going to be willing to pay the price, it's a very expensive place." Bill explained. "It's 550 Galleons a month. Did you know that's over a thousand muggle pounds." Bill smiled.

"It's only 225 a person?" Hermione said. If she had done her conversion right she was paying 300 Galleons for her small apartment now.

"Yeah." Bill said. "But that's alot for one person."

Hermione had to agree that was outrageous for one person, but if the rent was split it wouldn't be so bad. It was cheaper then her current rent and she wouldn't have the crazy old lady banging on the floor boards at the slightest sound. She looked across the table and saw that Ron and Harry were looking very pleased with themselves. She rolled her eyes at them. It was Padma who broke the silence.

"Weren't you just saying that you were probably going to have to go live with your parents, Hermione?" Padma said catching on to her fiancee hints and helping.

"Really?" Bill exclaimed hopefully. "If you could move in Hermione, I wouldn't have to move out and we know each other.."

Hermione stared at the ragged looking man in front of her. He looked like a strange lost puppy in those moments and he smiled at her oddly. She considered for a few more seconds before finally daring to speak.

"I need to see the place before I decide for sure, but if I like I'll be up for it." Hermione finally said. Bill leaped from his seat and hugged her. It was quick and surprising. She looked at Bill strangely. They hung there for a moment not completely hugging but not letting go either each staring into each others eyes. It was Bill who finally broke contact. He contained himself and sat back down. She couldn't help it, she thought about that hug in for a few extra seconds wondering if the strange spark she'd felt all the way to her toes had been normal. She shook it off as nothing more then a strange sort of excitement about the apartment.

"I need to go." Hermione said looking at her watch. She had been working full time at the Flourish and Blotts booksellers while attending healer classes at uni at night. "Would you rather I came to look at the place after my shift at 7pm or in the morning?"

"Tonight's fine." Bill said. "See you then."

"Yeah." see you then". Hermione said making herself walk out the door. As she worked her shift that day at Flourish and Blotts she found herself daydreaming about Bill's gorgeously maimed face and thinking about that hug. It was like nothing she had ever experienced before. She couldnt' wait for 7pm to come.


End file.
